Buckeyes overcome mistakes to beat MSU

BUCKEYES BUZZ: The 17-16 victory over Michigan State on Saturday was a memorable one for a lot of people, but perhaps no one as much as head coach Urban Meyer.

It was his first Big Ten win, against a ranked opponent, on the road.

"That was a great game," Meyer said. "I've been very lucky to have been around some great players and great teams. This ranks as one of the top wins. This is fantastic."

The Buckeyes won despite three turnovers, an injury to RB Jordan Hall and QB Braxton Miller hitting the deck and having trouble getting up a couple of times.

The key to the victory was a bit of keep-away in the final minutes. Hanging on to that tenuous 1-point lead and with just a handful of minutes remaining, Ohio State maintained possession of the ball to prevent Michigan State from getting another shot at a potential winning field goal.

The Buckeyes collected three first downs to seal the win.

"We knew going into the game, this was going to be one of the best teams we'd face in the conference," center Corey Linsley said. "We had to win it. If we win this, it starts to snowball in the right direction. If we don't win, it starts to snowball in the wrong direction."

POLL DANCING: The Buckeyes moved up two spots in the Associated Press Top 25 to No. 12.